Who will be impacted by digital product passports: Toys industry?
The United Nations Institute for Training and Research found that worldwide, around 9 billion kilograms of e-waste is thrown away every year. Around one-third of this waste comes from children's toys containing hidden electronics.
The issues around toys don’t stop at waste though. Toys contribute to general plastic waste and often include substances of concern.
There are already EU laws surrounding substances that are carcinogens, mutagens, or toxins affecting reproduction. In 2023, regulations were expanded to include endocrine-disrupting chemicals and more.
To combat these sustainability and safety issues, the European Commission's new Circular Economy Action Plan calls for the introduction of digital product passports (DPPs) to enhance transparency across various sectors, including the toy industry.
DPPs will hold detailed information on toys around the full lifecycle of the products, from raw material extraction to consumer information on disposal and recycling. This will need to be transparent and accessible to all stakeholders in the supply chain, including manufacturers, distributors, and end-users.
Here are just some examples of how these regulations will impact the supply chain:
- Toy companies will have to provide comprehensive data about the materials and chemicals used in the manufacturing process.
- Suppliers of raw materials used in toy manufacture will be required to disclose detailed information about the ethical sourcing and environmental impact of their products.
- Retailers will have to ensure that all toys have compliant DPPs that are transparently accessible to consumers.
- Caregivers will be able to access detailed product information to make informed purchasing decisions.
- Recycling and waste management companies will be able to easily access better information on the recyclability of products.
Digital Product Passport: Toys timeline
The implementation of digital product passports for toys will begin in 2027. Battery-powered toys may be affected sooner, and companies should adopt DPP solutions as early as possible to ensure they are ready.
How to prepare Digital Product Passports for toys
To get ready for these changes becoming mandatory, companies involved in the toy industry supply chain should focus on the following steps:
- Designating a team or person as a dedicated DPP lead to oversee their implementation.
- Establishing robust systems for collecting and managing product data such as manufacturing processes and compliance information.
- Auditing current suppliers to make sure they meet ethical and environmental standards.
- Investing in a reliable technological DPP solution to ensure their efficient rollout.
What to look out for in a DPP solution for toys
Toy companies and those involved in the supply chain should look for the following traits in a DPP solution:
- The platform should be user-friendly for all stakeholders.
- The solution should be set up to handle the complex supply chains that go into toy manufacturing.
- The solution needs to provide secure data storage and should be built from the ground up to be fit for EU compliance.
- The solution should be unified while also integrating seamlessly with existing systems to accommodate all future regulatory changes.
AuthentifyIt is an all-in-one unified platform to cover all your DPP needs. Our solution allows easy, transparent access to all levels of the supply chain and can ensure your organisation is 100% EU-compliant.
We’re also experts at navigating the complex regulations surrounding DPPs and can guide you through getting ready for the changes to come into effect.
Get in touch with us today for a discovery call.
